Refrigerator



Oct. 25, 1932.

O. STRUFE REFRIGERATOR Filed sept. 7. 1929 Patented Oct. 25, 1932 PATENT OFFICE OTTO S'IRUIEIEI,l 0F DWIGHT, ILLINOIS REFRIGERATOR applicati@ mea september These improvements relate to refrigerators, with special reference to ice compart-U to which applicable.

ment construction and devices therefor.

Heretofore it has/been the custom to insert in the icing compartment of'refrigerators a substantially large cake of ice, say fifty pounds, one hundred pounds or two hundred pounds in weight according to the size of the refrigerator, and to pile on top of the fresh cake and also around its sides the smaller pieceswhich usually result from breaking up with a pick the piece or pieces remaining in the chamber or produced at the refilling. The iceman usually puts the remaining piece on the floor to break it up and then packs the smaller pieces into the refrigerator.

It is the'custom of housewives to pack milk and beverage bottles, fruit, vegetables and dishes containing food around and on top of the ice-in the refrigerator, from which practice many mishaps occur through the falling down of ice pieces piled on top of the main piece, and also when it is attempted to break up some of these smaller pieces with the pick 25' for immediate use outside the refrigerator.

rI lhe present improvements avoid objections of the 4kind referred to, providefor a greater capacity of the refrigerator for storing ice, render the smaller piecesfof ice more readily 30 available, provide more advantageous places for food articles closely adjacent to ice and in a generally highly refrigerated area and withoutthe danger of spillage, breakage, etc. heretofore commonly experienced, and, in general, improve the sanitary conditions, simplifyfoperations, increase the efficiency of the device,` and promote convenience in use. In the drawing Figure 1 is a fragmentary l face and partly sectional View showing a r'ethis invention; Fig.2 is aside elevation of theparts shown in Fig. 1, as on the brokenl ffl structed according to well-known practices,

frigerator construction in accordance with 7, 1929. Seriall No. 390,909.,

andthese improvements may be variously embodied inthe different types of refrigerators I provide walls forming an upper ice compartment A, a lower ice. compartment B, and, where the basket-like container of Fig. 3 is employed, an ice compartment C. l/Vhen the vbasket-like device is used the compartment B will ordinarily not be used for holding ice, although the lseveral constructions may be so proportioned as to adapt it for holding other articles. Y

rllhe walls defining compartments A and B are a top wall 10, a front wall largely consisting of the door 11, a rear wall 12 and side walls 13 and 14, the wall 14Y preferably terminating short of the top wall to provide an open space for thefree fiow of Ventilating air and having ventilation openings as 15 therein placingcompartment B in communication with some other compartment.

In the preferred construction there is aV plate-like, readily removable platform 2O resting `on channel iron cleats 21 and which divides compartment A from compartment B, 75 and compartment B has a sheet metal bottom wall 22 provided with a drain opening 18.

An advantageous form of the platform is shown in Fig. l as comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending metallic pieces 23 in parallel arrangement and held in spaced apart relation by transverse pieces 211, 25 and 26. The only feature of novelty in connection with the platform 20 as illustrated is the provisionof a substantially large opening 27 therein which is produced by using a relatively'short platform piece 28 between the crosspieces 25 and 2G. rlhe opening 27 is large enough to pass the smaller pieces of ice out of compartment A into a lower compartment.

' Assuming the device of Fig. 3 to be omitted from Figs. 1 and 2, compartment B becomes a chamber suitable for holding the smaller pieces of ice. A removable plate at 29 (Fig.k 2) may be `employed to give greater effective depth to the compartment in front. Assume the. iceman about to refill compartment A with a oake'of ice which ought to occupy sub# stantially its entire capacity. He finds remnants of a former filling in compartment A 100 fside walls respectively. n

and proceeds to break them up with his piel;

into smaller pieces and to pass them through the opening 2T of platform 20. Compartment A becomes entirely cle "l to receive the new caire and the smaller pieces are not only in an erated air to acont ing food.

en happens hat the iceman is able to ty of ice in small pieces, and sometimes it is ordered in small pieces. ln such case the lower compartment B can be substantially vmled with that form while a larger piece )ies compartn .nt A.

Small pieces of ice a e frequently desired outside the re"'riceiat-; and these can be ob tained very readily il om compartment B. rlhe practice ha come into vogue of supplying` tb the hon e ice in cubes. A quantity of such cubes could quite conveniently and satisfactorily be carried in compartment B.

The bars 23 are shown as being so arranged that if space existsy at the sides of the cake in compartment A articles may be placed beside the ice in that chamber, and Without danger from falling 1pieces.

Compartment B is adapted also for the accommodation of bottles, vegetables, etc., and where the smaller pieces of ice do not occupy too much of its space, this compartment is peculiarly advantageous for articles calling for a relatively high degree of refrigeration. The construction is peculiarly advantageous, therefore, apart from the enefits arising from its use as a storage compartment for ice pieces. Of course at the time of a refilling operation if compartment B were occupied by bottles, dishes, etc. the iceman would be expected to transfer the smaller pieces by hand to the lower compartment; but the food articles would ordinarily be first removed.

The construction is peculiarly advantageous in connection with what is known as outside icing, now rapidly coming into more generalipractice. ln such case, as is well known, the rear wall l2 is provided with vdoorwa throuO'h which the ice is inserted.

In such instance the iceman does not enter the house, or, if it be a rear-door refrigerator serviced within the house, the front door as l1 still remains closed. In such case the iceman breaks up the smaller pieces in compartment A and pushes them into the opening 27 of the platform.

The receptacle of F 3 will ordinarily be of sheet metal and comprises a vbottom wall w8O, upstanding side walls Sl, an upstanding rear wall 32, a partial front wall 33 and preferably a removablefront wall piece 34e, the latter resting in supports 35 secured to the The side walls are hanged outwardly at 36 and these flanges arel adapted to rest on the lower web 21a of the channel iron piece 2l to such effect that the basket as a whole may readily be inserted in and withdrawn from compartment B. The upstanding walls of the container or receptacie are ventilated, preferably by forming inwardly-and-downwardly inclined leaves 38 from the metal walls, thus leaving openings which are effectively covered to prevent the smaller pieces of ice from falling through. The bottom 30 preferably has a drain opening 30a.

Among the advantages of such a removable container are that it may be lifted away bodily for application or removal of articles or objects and for cleaning. The baffle 34 illustrates one form of removable closure for the front end. This plate 34 may be lifted away for easy access to the hollow interior without removing the device as a whole, although the basket-like receptacle may be withdrawn partially from time to time for such access.

I contemplate as being included in these improvements all such variations, departures and modifications from what is thus specifically illustrated and described as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a refrigerator the combination of walls forming two chambers, one thereof being an upper chamber for a substantially large cake of ice, the vother being a lower chamber adapted to accommodate smaller pieces of ice, articles of food, etc., one of the defining walls being a substantially horizontally disposed platform having openings therethough and positioned between the two chambers, an open-top receptacle adapted to hold small pieces of ice, and means for supporting the receptacle in the lower chamber below said platform.

2. The combination of claim l hereof in which said supporting means are adapted to provide for the ready removability of the receptacle.

3. A readily removable receptacle for small pieces of ice in a refrigerator comprising in combination a bottom wall, and walls upstanding from the bottom wall forming a basket-like device sutliciently open at the top to admit the passage of small pieces of ice downward into the receptacle, upstanding walls having ventilation openings therein, with means adapted to coact with supporting means in the refrigerator for holding the receptacle in the refrigerator for ready removability.

4. The device of claim 3 hereof in which the normally front Wall of the device has movable closure means.

5. The device of claim 3 hereof in which the ventilation openings of upstanding Walls are associated with inwardly-projecting and downwardly inclined protective covering elements.

6. In a refrigerator the combination of. walls defining two substantially large chamn bers, one directly above the other one for a substantially large cake of ice and the other for smaller pieces of ice, food articles, etc., one of the defining walls being common to both chambers and having a sufficiently large opening therethrough `to pass such smaller pieces.

7. In a refrigerator the combination of walls defining two chambers, one thereof being an upper chamber for a substantially large cake of ice and theother being a substantially large lower chamber for smaller pieces of ice, articles of food, etc., one of the defining walls being a substantially horizontally disposed partition common to both chambers and having a suificiently large opening therethrough to pass such smaller pieces.

OTTO STRUFE. 

